Steelman

LOL Yeah Okay http://morningmoss.com/10-scary-trail-camera-photos/

This is what I have noticed that a lot of people keep saying and using to support there ideas. QDM is not Quality Horn Management. QDM is quality deer management, and that mainly consist of balancing the herd with the habitat, balancing the doe to buck ratio and balancing the age class of deer. Look at a QDMA statement “…is a management philosophy/practice that unites landowners, hunters, and managers in a common goal of producing biologically and socially balanced deer herds within existing environmental, social, and legal constraints.†Look at Pensylvania game commission and the reason behind the QDM program, it was solely to balance the herd and the eco system, in order for hunters in PA to go along with this plan they raised the age class of the deer in PA woods and it gave hunters bigger horns. This did not happen overnight. Look at all the PA hunters that bought up land and leases in NY because of this. At camp 4 different groups of PA hunters bought up or leased up hunting land all around us. It was quite a few years before they started to see the impact of PA's management plan and still these guys all come here to see deer. Antler restrictions are not QDM. With that said the land in NY is so diverse its very easy for some of you to say shoot the doe you damn meat hunters. Well guys I am fortunate enough to be able to reside in northern NY and have a hunting camp in Southern NY. Here at home we dont get doe permits issued because the herd is under capacity. For some up here and for good reason shooting a doe is frowned upon and only legal during bow or Ml season. You guys on over capacity land may not understand this until you spend some time up here deer hunting and not seeing deer every time you enter the woods. Many among the community also like horn hunters but with does have a let it walk policy. For example a doe that has twin fawns year after year, people identify certain markings like a scar etc and share that with family, friends or others in the area. If a doe is dropping two fawns a year and we are under capacity it just makes more sense to let these walk and kill a buck. LIke I said before I hunt mainly for meat, I wont tell you its cheaper or any other excuse other than I like venison and so does my family, The mentality has changed a bit for us northern guys having areas to hunt in a decent populated deer area down south. That change is from the season date changes. The desire, need. passion, hunger what ever you want to call it is nulled a bit knowing we can go down south and harvest a doe earlier in the season and get some venison in our freezers. This has led some of us into letting younger age class bucks walk and not taking a doe with bow or ML. If you live up here this opportunity has been well received for some. So what Im saying is QDM is not antler management, antler restrictions are not going to help everyone nor is it good state wide. Stick Antler restritions in N.Tier and you will see more does taken in an already under capacity deer population. If it was at capacity or above you would see doe permits being issued. The NY state deer herd is so diverse some guys just will never understand who are in an area that is over capacity they see what is in front of them and not what is everywhere in the state. Now how in the heck does DEC manage any kind of restricitons on a state wide basis, and how do they micro manage as well. Just in one WMU alone certain areas may be just about void of deer and then the big farm or little city down the road 20 miles has deer eating themselves to death. I dont want to call it selfish cause it just sounds wrong but I dont know how else to explain the desire for Antler Restricitions, You may want it to better last years buck, show off to your friends, maybe the challenge alone of hunting one particular deer, a picture in a magazine of you holding a state record I just dont know but its not right, fair or even sportsman like to determine your way is the only way or the better way for others to abide by. There are enough laws, taxes and stuff crammed down our throats that we already have to deal with as a tax paying land owner in this state let alone for some wanting or telling us we cant harvest a deer we deem fit thats within the current laws we already have.

The hell with antler restrictions is what I say. I am a meat hunter first and foremost, and before some of you roll your eyes I will hunt for does to first and hold out for a better age class buck. Does this always work, well for the most part yes but there have been a few years where a 1.5 year old buck met the freezer at seasons end. I have nothing against trophy hunting and the desire to put a wallhanger down. But I will tell you its not my right nor anyone else to make others hunt your way by restricting them to antler restrictions. It not only takes the heritage away from our sport and turn it into a horn brigade of look at me wannabes and forces everyone to hunt your way. Plus it will also create much more illegal harvest and poaching. The best course of action I believe to please both sides is limit it to a one buck rule. With it being a two buck state many will take that first buck and then hold off for the big boy later. If your a meat hunter its still your choice to put whatever age class buck you want in your freezer, if your a antler hunter then you can hold off for your horns. You put a one buck rule in this state and you will see more doe harvest and less younger class bucks taken. Everyone wins.

ADK pm me on Sugarbush, its 3rd.

Trolling has been either hot or frigid for me. I give it a couple hours and if nothing I change up strategy. I cant handle staring at open water waiting for a fish for too much longer than that. That is part of what makes Oneida so great, many different ways to catch fish in all sorts of depth on any day.

It was a hard bite this weekend for me as also. Caught some dinks as well. I hate the glass water fishing and it usually reflects the fishing as flat as well lol. I did box out but it did not come easy. I did something I hardly ever do and its the last resort fishing strategy for me but it pays off if your patient. FInd the baitfish and anchor. The walleye follow them around a bit and you can get into them. Best bite was still in 17fow.

Did you take the light bite arms off? These arms hold the line up and off the tail edge of your divers stopping the line from eating into the divers. Take a look at this link. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CE4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slidediver.com%2Fimg%2FSlideDiver.pdf&ei=8ijPU8CnGs-wyATHs4D4BQ&usg=AFQjCNE9mFwQyS3EoiGhM0w5IaaYOfUCRQ&sig2=8p8rzYuLrPsQZtG-HElQDg